Michael Brooks
The Eastern Orthodox Church, officially the Orthodox Catholic Church, is one of the three major doctrinal and jurisdictional groups of Christianity. It is also known as the Greek Orthodox Church. The Eastern Orthodox Church has no centralised authority, unlike the Catholic Church, which is led by the Pope. The Eastern Orthodox Church is a communion of autocephalous churches, each governed by its bishops via local synods. The Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople is recognised as the 'first among equals'. The church is one of the oldest surviving religious institutions in the world and has played a prominent role in the history and culture of Eastern and Southeastern Europe. There are an estimated 220-230 million baptised members of the Eastern Orthodox Church, making it the second-largest Christian communion in the world after the Catholic Church.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Name | Eastern Orthodox Church, Orthodox Catholic Church, Greek Orthodox Church |
| Number of adherents | 220-230 million baptised members worldwide |
| Percentage of Christians worldwide | 12% |
| Communion | Second largest single denomination after the Catholic Church |
| Structure | Communion of autocephalous churches, governed by bishops via local synods |
| Geographic presence | Eastern Europe, Southeast Europe, Russia, Central Asia, Australia, Austria, Germany, Italy, Spain, Canada, Switzerland, US |
| Rituals and beliefs | Similar to Catholicism but with a focus on preserving traditions |
| Administrative structure | Decentralized, with no central authority or leader |
| Councils recognized | Nicaea I, Constantinople I, Ephesus, Chalcedon, Constantinople II, Constantinople III, Nicaea II |
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What You'll Learn
- There are an estimated 220-230 million Eastern Orthodox Christians worldwide
- Eastern Orthodoxy is the second-largest Christian communion after the Catholic Church
- Orthodox Christians account for 12% of Christians worldwide, down from 20.4% in 1910
- Eastern Orthodox Christians use various titles, including Eastern Orthodox, Orthodox Catholic, or Orthodox
- Eastern Orthodoxy is the predominant religion in Russia, where roughly half of the world's Eastern Orthodox Christians live
There are an estimated 220-230 million Eastern Orthodox Christians worldwide
Eastern Orthodox Christians make up around 12% of Christians worldwide, although this is a decline from around 20% a century ago. The religion remains concentrated in Europe, with 77% of adherents living on the continent. Over two-thirds of all Eastern Orthodox Christians are based in Southeast Europe, Eastern Europe, and Russia, with significant minorities in Central Asia, the Levant, and, increasingly, in traditionally Catholic and Protestant countries. In 2024, Eastern Orthodoxy was the predominant religion in Russia, where around half of the world's Eastern Orthodox Christians live. It was also the majority religion in Ukraine, Romania, Belarus, Greece, Serbia, Moldova, Georgia, North Macedonia, Cyprus, and Montenegro.
The Eastern Orthodox Church is one of the oldest surviving religious institutions in the world and has played a prominent role in the history and culture of Eastern and Southeastern Europe. The basis of the original Orthodox community is the Creed of Constantinople, written in 381. It is a secession from Roman-influenced Christianity, which mainly took place in the eastern part of the former Roman Empire. From the 5th century CE onwards, the ancient Oriental Christians separated from the Roman imperial church. It took around 600 years for the official separation of the Greek-influenced Christians from the Latin ones.
Eastern Orthodox Christians are united by their faith, expressed most fundamentally in scripture and worship, and the latter, most essentially through baptism and in the Divine Liturgy. Orthodox Christians almost always belong to a self-governing church organisation, and all see themselves as an indivisible part of the "Church of Orthodoxy".
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Eastern Orthodoxy is the second-largest Christian communion after the Catholic Church
Christianity is the largest religious group in the world, with an estimated 2.3 to 2.6 billion adherents in 2020. The various denominations of Christianity are divided into several large families, shaped by both culture and history. The Catholic Church (including Eastern Catholic Churches) is the largest Christian communion in the world.
Eastern Orthodoxy, officially known as the Orthodox Catholic Church, is the second-largest Christian communion in the world, with approximately 220 to 230 million baptised members worldwide. It operates as a communion of autocephalous churches, each governed by its bishops via local synods. The church has no central doctrinal or governmental authority analogous to the pope of the Catholic Church. Nevertheless, the Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople is recognised by them as primus inter pares ('first among equals'), a title held by the patriarch of Rome prior to 1054.
Eastern Orthodoxy is heavily concentrated in Eastern Europe, where it is the predominant religion in several countries, including Russia, Ukraine, Romania, Belarus, Greece, Serbia, Moldova, Georgia, North Macedonia, Cyprus, and Montenegro. In 2024, Eastern Orthodoxy was the predominant religion in Russia, with 62% of the population adhering to the religion, and roughly half of the world's Eastern Orthodox Christians residing in the country. In recent years, there has been a growth of Eastern Orthodoxy in traditionally Catholic and Protestant countries, including Australia, Austria, Germany, Italy, Spain, Canada, and Switzerland, where they comprise roughly 2% of the population.
The history of Christianity is often characterised by the divide between the East and the West, with the East referring to the geographic east in the East-West Schism and the West referring to western Christendom. The East-West Schism in 1054 formally ruptured relations between the Eastern and Western churches, resulting in a mutual excommunication that caused a schism between the two groups. The Eastern Orthodox Church claims to be the continuation and preservation of the early Christian Church, a claim also made by several other Christian churches, including the Catholic Church, the Anglican Communion, the Church of the East, and the Oriental Orthodox. Despite the ongoing schism, there have been recent ecumenical efforts and dialogues between the Catholic and Eastern Orthodox churches to foster better relations and promote unity among Christians.
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Orthodox Christians account for 12% of Christians worldwide, down from 20.4% in 1910
Orthodox Christians, also known as Eastern Orthodox Christians, currently account for approximately 12% of Christians worldwide. This percentage has decreased since 1910, when Orthodox Christians constituted 20.4% of Christians globally. While the number of Eastern Orthodox Christians has grown over time, their share of the global Christian population has diminished.
The Eastern Orthodox Church, officially the Orthodox Catholic Church, is one of the three major doctrinal and jurisdictional groups of Christianity. It is the second-largest Christian communion in the world, after the Catholic Church. The Eastern Orthodox Church operates as a communion of autocephalous churches, with each church governed by its bishops via local synods. There is no central authority figure in the Eastern Orthodox Church, comparable to the Pope in the Catholic Church. However, the Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople is recognised as the 'first among equals'.
Estimates of the number of Eastern Orthodox Christians worldwide vary, with some sources placing the figure at around 220 million, while others suggest a higher number of approximately 230 million baptised members. Over two-thirds of Eastern Orthodox Christians are concentrated in Southeast Europe, Eastern Europe, and Russia, with significant minorities in Central Asia and the former Soviet republics. In recent years, the Eastern Orthodox population has grown in traditionally Catholic and Protestant countries, such as Australia, Austria, Germany, Italy, Spain, Canada, and Switzerland, where they comprise roughly 2% of the population.
The decline in the proportion of Eastern Orthodox Christians as a percentage of the global Christian population has been attributed to various factors. Historical events, such as the East-West Schism of 1054 and the fall of Constantinople, left the Eastern Orthodox Church isolated within the declining Byzantine Empire. The expansion of Islam and the territorial losses of the Byzantine Empire further contributed to the decline of Orthodox influence. Additionally, the decentralised nature of the Eastern Orthodox Church, with each nation having its own independent ruling, may have impacted its ability to expand as rapidly as Catholicism and Protestantism, which benefited from colonial expansion and global missionary activities.
To maintain its relevance, experts suggest that the Eastern Orthodox Church may need to adapt to contemporary times and look beyond Europe for growth. However, this presents a challenge, as the church competes with more active religions that appear to expand at a faster rate.
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Eastern Orthodox Christians use various titles, including Eastern Orthodox, Orthodox Catholic, or Orthodox
Eastern Orthodox Christians use various titles, including Eastern Orthodox, Orthodox Catholic, or simply Orthodox. The Eastern Orthodox Church, also known as the Orthodox Catholic Church, is one of the three major doctrinal and jurisdictional groups of Christianity, with approximately 220 to 230 million baptised members worldwide. It is the second-largest single Christian denomination, after the Catholic Church, and its adherents are found primarily in Eastern and Southeastern Europe, Eastern Europe, Russia, and Central Asia.
The term "Eastern" in Eastern Orthodox refers to the geographic east in the East-West Schism, distinguishing it from western Christendom, which includes the Catholic communion and various Protestant and Anglican branches. The use of "Eastern" also indicates that the highest concentrations of the Eastern Orthodox Church are in the eastern part of the Christian world, although the church is growing worldwide.
The term "Orthodox" in Eastern Orthodox comes from the Greek word "orthodox," which means "right believing." In the Greek-speaking Christian world, this term has traditionally been used to designate communities or individuals who preserved the true faith as defined by the first seven ecumenical councils recognised by the Eastern Orthodox churches. These councils include Nicaea I, Constantinople I, Ephesus, Chalcedon, Constantinople II, Constantinople III, and Nicaea II.
The term "Catholic" in Orthodox Catholic refers to the catholic faith as carried through holy tradition by Orthodox Christians. This faith is expressed most fundamentally in scripture and worship, with baptism and the Divine Liturgy being essential aspects of worship. The Eastern Orthodox Church is a communion of autocephalous churches, each governed by its bishops via local synods, and there is no central authority or earthly head analogous to the pope in the Catholic Church.
It is important to distinguish Eastern Orthodoxy from Oriental Orthodoxy, which separated from Chalcedonian Christianity in the 5th century and includes churches such as the Armenian Apostolic Church, the Ethiopian Tewahedo Orthodox Church, and the Coptic Orthodox Church. While Eastern Orthodoxy and Oriental Orthodoxy share similar names, they are distinct branches of Christianity.
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Eastern Orthodoxy is the predominant religion in Russia, where roughly half of the world's Eastern Orthodox Christians live
Eastern Orthodoxy, also known as the Orthodox Catholic Church, is the predominant religion in Russia, with approximately 71% of Russians identifying as Orthodox Christians. This makes Russia the country with the highest number of Eastern Orthodox Christians in the world, with roughly 100 million adherents, or 40% of all Eastern Orthodox Christians worldwide.
Eastern Orthodoxy is one of the three major doctrinal and jurisdictional groups of Christianity, with approximately 220 to 260 million baptised members worldwide. It operates as a communion of autocephalous churches, each governed by its bishops via local synods. The church has no central authority figure like the pope of the Catholic Church, but the Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople is recognised as primus inter pares ('first among equals').
Eastern Orthodoxy has its highest concentrations in the eastern part of the Christian world, particularly in Southeast Europe, Eastern Europe, and Russia, with significant minorities in Central Asia. The geographical centre of the overall Christian population has shifted from its centuries-old European base into developing nations in the Southern Hemisphere. However, most Orthodox Christians (roughly 76%) still live in Central and Eastern Europe, including Greece and the Balkans.
In Russia, there has been an upsurge in affiliation with Eastern Orthodoxy since the collapse of the Soviet Union. Between 1991 and 2008, the share of Russian adults identifying as Orthodox Christians rose from 31% to 72%, according to the Pew Research Center. During the same period, the proportion of Russians without any religious affiliation decreased from 61% to 18%. However, it is worth noting that the increase in religious affiliation does not necessarily translate into higher rates of religious observance, as attendance at religious services has remained relatively low.
While Eastern Orthodoxy is the predominant religion in Russia, there is a diverse range of religious beliefs and practices in the country. There has been a modest increase in the share of the Russian population identifying with other religions, including Islam, Protestant Christianity, and Roman Catholicism. Additionally, the percentage of those who actively practice Eastern Orthodoxy is on the rise, while the overall percentage of Eastern Orthodox Christians in Russia has decreased in recent years.
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Frequently asked questions
There are approximately 220-230 million Orthodox Catholics worldwide, making it the second-largest Christian communion after the Catholic Church.
The Eastern Orthodox Church, also known as the Orthodox Catholic Church, is one of three major doctrinal groups of Christianity. Unlike Catholicism, it does not recognise the Pope as the supreme authority and does not share beliefs such as the Immaculate Conception of Mary and Purgatory. Orthodox Christians are united by their shared faith, expressed through scripture, worship, baptism and the Divine Liturgy.
Over two-thirds of all Eastern Orthodox members are concentrated in Southeast Europe, Eastern Europe and Russia, with significant minorities in Central Asia. It is the predominant religion in Russia, where roughly half of the world's Eastern Orthodox Christians live.
The number of Orthodox Christians is declining as a proportion of the overall Christian population. This is due to various factors, including demographic trends and the rigid administrative structure of the Orthodox community.
The Oriental Orthodox Churches are descended from those that rejected the Council of Chalcedon in 451 and are, therefore, a different branch of Christianity from the Eastern Orthodox. There are an estimated 62 million Oriental Orthodox Christians worldwide.
